Zorba’s to reopen on Essen Lane

Zorba’s to reopen on Essen Lane

Two of the original owners of Zorba’s, a popular Greek restaurant in the 1980s and 1990s, plan to open a new restaurant on Essen Lane in April.

Zorba’s Greek Bistro will feature a mix of dishes from the original menu, such as gyros and moussaka along with new salads, seafood and lamb dishes, said Dinos Economides, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Polina. “It will be about 70 percent from the old menu and 30 percent new recipes,” Economides said.

Zorba’s was open from 1984 to 2000 as a partnership between Economides and his brother, Vasilios, and spent the last 10 years of operation on Perkins Road, where Louisiana Lagniappe is now. In September 2000, the restaurant was sold and Dinos and Polina Economides returned to their native island of Cyprus. Vasilios briefly reopened a version of Zorba’s on Highland Road in 2002, but it closed.

After living overseas for 12 years, the Economides returned to Baton Rouge so their children could go to LSU. The couple then decided to get back into the restaurant business.

Economides looked at several locations along Bluebonnet and Perkins, before deciding on the space at 5713 Essen Lane, which had been recently occupied by The Bread Box. “We like that area,” Economides said.

Zorba’s Greek Bistro should open in the first half of April. Economides said the plan is to be open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.

Zorba’s will sell alcohol. “We will have a bar and seating at the bar,” Economides said. The restaurant will have seating for about 60 and could have some tables in a courtyard outside.